Overview

Bob and Melinda Blanchard's first book, A Trip to the Beach, sold more than 85,000 copies and became inspiration for countless people who were ready to start living their dreams. Comprising stories, reflections, notes, insights, and a bit of advice, Live What You Love is the Blanchard's warm, engaging, and personal response to the thousands of fans who've asked them, "How did you do it?"

"What happens if life falls outside the expected lines and inside others that are ...

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Overview

Bob and Melinda Blanchard's first book, A Trip to the Beach, sold more than 85,000 copies and became inspiration for countless people who were ready to start living their dreams. Comprising stories, reflections, notes, insights, and a bit of advice, Live What You Love is the Blanchard's warm, engaging, and personal response to the thousands of fans who've asked them, "How did you do it?"

"What happens if life falls outside the expected lines and inside others that are self-defined? Our experiences tell us that living this way is as wonderful as it is odd. We happen to believe that life really is about choices, and we love what happens when interesting ones get paired together."--Bob and Melinda Blanchard

After the Blanchards' published A Trip to the Beach, they found that readers responded personally and passionately, often buying multiple copies to give friends and family. They received countless invitations to lecture and requests for national television appearances, and have been asked to develop a series for PBS. Everyone, it seems, wanted to live their life: during the winter, the couple operate the most popular restaurant in Anguilla, the tiny Caribbean nation hideaway of celebrities, beautiful beaches and luxurious homes, and spend summers in the green hills of Northern Vermont.
Through delightful and moving stories, reflections, notes--and a soupcon of advice--the Blanchards have written a stunning, inspirational manifesto where truly living what you love becomes a revolutionary act, a rebellion against the common life. They show how, through self-trust, personal adjustment, and daily acts of commitment, each of us can live the life we love and make every day a personal treasure. Full of warmth, humor, wisdom, and charm, LWYL is the Blanchard's love letter to life, a celebration of unusual choices, and a thank you gift to all of their fans.

Editorial Reviews

Library Journal

Stuck in a rut and dreaming of running off to Tahiti? That fantasy can become a reality if you simply heed the advice offered in the Blanchards' uplifting follow-up to A Trip to the Beach (2001). The authors encourage readers to live an "unusual life"-one that is odd and wonderful, custom built to individual values and priorities. All that's required, according to the Blanchards, is the "Big Four": passion, location, money, and people. This formula worked for the couple, who left the security of an established business in Vermont to build their dream restaurant on a remote Caribbean island. Brimming with stories, reflections, notes, and occasional sage words of advice, this book is sure to inspire readers to live the life of their dreams. Highly recommended for public libraries.-Wendy Lee, Marshall-Lyon Cty. Lib., MN Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.

Meet the Author

More by this Author

Bob & Melinda Blanchard

Bestselling authors, successful entrepreneurs, and dynamic change experts, Bob and Melinda Blanchard are passionately committed to the simple but profound belief that we are all entitled to live a life we love. The life-shifting tools that they impart in their books, in the media, and in person allow their audiences to open up to countless new options for creative transformation.

Biography

Mainly because they've worked hard to achieve their good fortune, Bob and Melinda Blanchard are that rare couple that is easy to envy but impossible to resent. Proprietors of Blanchard's Restaurant (est. 1994), the most popular dining establishment in the Caribbean hideaway of Anguilla, these transplanted Vermonters first came to international attention with their nonfiction bestseller A Trip to the Beach: Living on Island Time in the Caribbean (2000) -- a humorous, highly personal account of their adventures as struggling restaurateurs. With its freewheeling blend of personal anecdotes and savory recipes, the book struck a chord with legions of readers, and the Blanchards found themselves much in demand as lecturers, television guests, and life coaches.

In 2003, the couple released At Blanchard's Table, a cookbook filled with stories and recipes from their New England roots and their life in the Caribbean. Two years later, they scored a double hit with the self-explanatory manifesto Live What You Love and a culinary companion (Cook What You Love); and in the face of the 2008 recession, they released the practical how-to, Changing Your Course: The 5-Step Guide to Getting the Life You Want.

These days, the Blanchards juggle two lives. They continue to run their successful restaurant business in Anguilla, and they manage a booming cottage industry of linked services and products, specializing in practical change agency and dedicated to the proposition that we all deserve to live our dreams.

Good To Know

The Blanchards adoptive home of Anguilla is a haven for celebrities anxious to escape the spotlight. They have served stars like Susan Sarandon, Richard Gere, and Liam Neeson at Blanchard's Restaurant.

Some fun facts from our interview with the Blanchards:

"We can each easily eat an entire pint of Häagen-Dazs ice cream in one sitting."

"Some of Bob's favorite moments are spent on his John Deere tractor, mowing the field at our house in Vermont. Anyone who visits us and shows even the teeniest amount of interest gets an automatic ride on the John Deere."

"As ironic as it may sound, we unwind by going to New York. Living in Anguilla and Vermont is wonderful, but it's always fun to enjoy the contrast of the hustle and bustle of a great city."

"More than anything else, we love to design things. Could be a restaurant, a house, a store, or something as simple as a greeting card. Sounds like work to some, but it's fun to us."

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Customer Reviews

Anonymous

Posted November 29, 2008

I Also Recommend:

Wonderful Book

I enjoyed reading Live What You Love. It has inspired me to make changes in my life. It has challenged me to take a different approach to life, which I think will lead me to become happier in everything I do.

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Anonymous

Posted November 22, 2008

I Also Recommend:

Author, Light at the End of My Pen

Looking forward to reading this book. I like there energy! I also recommend, Light at the End of My Pen.

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Anonymous

Posted September 23, 2006

Live What You Love: Notes from an Unusual Life

I am not, in general, a fan of self-help or 'you can do it' books -- but I love this special gem from the Blanchards. I read A Trip to the Beach and enjoyed the story...but was left wondering 'how do people do this sort of thing?' LIVE WHAT YOU LOVE answers that question without being preachy or giving typical or pat answers. It seems dreams take a lot of work and planning and discipline, or else they are just hopes and 'one day' fantasies. This book really did help me change my life -- and open a small business -- by showing me that there is more to do that 'just wanting' things to work out. Inspiration and realistic. Wonderfully written, too.

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Anonymous

Posted November 2, 2005

The rich keep getting richer

Live what you love? Sure, if you have the money to move to Tahiti. Most of of don't. Still, it's got enough gems to deserve 4 stars.

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Anonymous

Posted November 4, 2005

The Cure for Quiet Desperation

The Blanchards' stories and advice serve as inspiring reminders of how much more is possible in your life when there is a daily commitment to spend your time and energy doing extraordinary things that you love. Read this book and you'll never glance at another copy of 'TV Guide'.

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Anonymous

Posted December 20, 2005

Live What You Love: Notes from an Unusual Life

This is an amazing book from people who have had the courage to lead amazing lives. The biggest insight that I got was that you can do ANYTHING if you start by doing SOMETHING. A little act can make a big difference, and the authors made me feel like they were right there with me holding my hand. It isn't straightforward advice -- thank goodness -- and those neat little steps never work. These stories are real and helped me find my own stories of strength and courage. We all need a friend to help us 'finally do it'...and this book is that friend, in my opinion. It is real and practical enough to have impact, but loose and light enough to not overwhelm with too much advice.

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Anonymous

Posted December 2, 2005

Inspiring and practical

I became interested in Live What You Love after reading the two reviews posted here. I loved this book and take issue with the reviewer who's sarcasm implies that the Blanchard's advice is fine if you have enough money to move to Tahiti. He missed their point. This book is organized organically: each 'chapter' introduces, through story and reflection, a powerful, life-changing, and gentle way for anyone to begin to reevaluate their life. What I loved is the Blanchard's charm, humor, and humanity: they understand that there is no formula that fits all people and that it is never easy. But they also know that we all need to periodically go through this process. Finding objectivity within oneself is the most difficult challenge, I've found, and this book as been a kind of manifesto for me. It's helped me shut down the noise and confusion of everyday life and honestly examine my own needs, wishes and desires. I'd love to frame the book's frontispiece, 'Retrospective Perspective,' so that I could hang it on the wall of my office as a reminder of what's really important in life. What is the story of my life? I'd never gave it much thought until I read this book. Kudos to the Blanchards, and a great big thanks.

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Anonymous

Posted November 28, 2005

Simply Marvelous!

I found the Blanchards inspiring, they have done and are doing that thing called living life in a way alot of people dont have the guts or determination to do. I would recommend this book to anyone who's not afarid to think off the beaten path, and who are open-minded enough to listen to the message through out the book.

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